Wild Card Post: Professional Development

This is written in response to the post: Classroom Management Be Damned!

I will be honest, I recently attended a professional development day that was run by STUDENTS! And here’s what I learned—WHAT THE STUDENTS SEE WHEN WE TEACH! It was a major eye-opener, and the minute I saw the students recreate scenarios, I was like, “Holy **** this is me sometimes.” I think there need to be more days, FULL days, where we see other points of view and hear about what the STUDENTS might want, because not just the goody-two-shoes were telling us teachers about what they liked. There were at least 2 off-the-wall kids, and one kid who was the invisible kid. I also think that the roles should be reversed—the kids see OUR point of view. Now, I know this sounds very idealistic, but it may help. But I will be honest, if I had seen this at the beginning of the year, I can tell you right now, I probably would’ve felt better when I began the school year, and maybe my classroom management might have been better.
There are times when, yes, Professional Development days seem a bit idiotic. Then again, I am an art teacher, and our PD days are actually quite fun. Each PD day I have gone to, I have gotten free stuff, or there are sales of stuff created by art teachers in their free time—a PD day I went to before November, had a sort of jewelry sale that was hand-made by current and retired art teachers. Also, the topics presented are from teachers who are veterans—more than 5 years—and there’s no talk of BCRs, or when to send students to the office, or anything. Maybe it’s just me, or maybe it’s just that I am an art teachers, and we just have fun.

-Moira S.